From the need for aggression to the need for rootedness: a Gestalt postmodern clinical and social perspective on conflict

Abstract

"Abstract: This article revises the basic concept of aggression in Gestalt therapy, considering the development of society from Fritz Perls’ time to nowadays. The anthropological turn of Perls is outlined (aggression, conflict, and intentionality of contact are the concepts that he linked), and the proposed evolution of the concept of aggression is in line with this original epistemological perspective. The need for rootedness is considered as the contemporary equivalent of the social need for aggression, a requirement that Perls identified in the 1950s. Treatment for this new form of social need is proposed as focused on the ground rather than on the figure. A clinical example is finally provided. Key words: aggression, conflict, intentionality of contact, need for rootedness, postmodern society, ground, now-for-next."